Commercial Apprentice Review

Day to day duties include the following: Managing Contracts Putting Contracts Together Monitoring Supplier Performance Creating Category Plans Modifying contracts Reviewing contracts Completing procurements strategies Completing contractual obligations The apprenticeship revolves around the procurement cycle and ensuring end to end delivery. This includes all the activities required from putting a contract together, awarding contract, managing contract, reviewing performance, then conducting a lessons learnt exercise and understanding whether to extend or retender.

Learn to understand and read contracts, especially understanding clauses. I have learnt how to speak more professionally verbally and non-verbally with better vocabulary. This is evident when I chair meetings and speak to suppliers. My writing has also improved and I can now write emails like a professional as well as drafting contract clauses.

This apprenticeship is amazing. I am enjoying every second. The exposure you get to different suppliers, teams, companies is unprecedented. On my first week of the scheme I found myself in a conference with of one largest advertising companies in the world, inside one of the worlds most posh hotel in Central London. The amount of training, support and development opportunities is also great too.

The program is structured really well with 20% of the week dedicated to off the job training. The CIPS Level 4 qualification has 5 exams and we study every week at a private college with a qualified teacher. We move out on placements every 6 months to get experience in various areas and opportunities to visit sites.

There is so much support available. This company is set up in a way where an apprentice like myself can book time with a director to seek advice and secure mentorship. There is so many 1 to 1 sessions with managers and mechanisms to monitor development and ways to improve.

Support is plentiful with text books, revision sessions as well as contact with the qualified teacher to mark answers, seek ways of improving and find ways of advancing quickly. Revisions sessions before exams are really useful and support and materials really help progression, especially when balancing both work and study.

The CIPS Level 4 Diploma has been amazing in really helping us set a foundation for our Procurement and Supply Chain knowledge. It has given us a solid base and platform and everything we learnt is evident in the job we do. This includes principles of contract law, incoterms, payment mechanisms etc.

There are lots of activities such as football, reading, socials, going to the theatre etc. Everyone's beliefs are also respected with various groups available too. Professional networking events are very common with many fairs and opportunity to build careers and pursue development. Site visits are also very common and available to everyone.

Yes

Amazing company with great work life balance. Plenty of opportunities to grow and develop and great environment where everyone is treated equally and everyone's beliefs are respected. There is a lot of scope to move around internally to gain experience allowing anyone who puts their mind to it to develop.

Be yourself and ask yourself if your behaviours align with that of Transport for London. If not, ask yourself if these behaviours is something you would one day aspire to. Show an interest in Transport for London and what their currently up to, in terms of projects and find out, what you can do.